1.4 tsi 140 v 150 PS

[Octy0GG]

Looking at buying a manual 1.4 tsi,  the age range i would be looking at spans the changeover from 140 to 150 PS rating.

 

Obviously the 150 should be more powerful, with slight improvements in official fuel consumption figures and slight claimed performance improvement.

 

Aware though that these PS ratings may not all be totally realistic and that official figures are not always representative of real world conditions.

 

So, question to anyone who has experience of both versions:

 

Where would you rate these improvements on a sliding scale between undetectable and quite significant?

 

Just want to know whether it is worth aiming for a 150 PS particularly as that will nudge the cost towards my upper limit. 

[Gerrycan]

Both engines produce 250 nm of torque between 1500 and 3500 rpm but the torque drop is less severe above 3500 rpm hence the higher rating.

The difference will only be noticeable if you rev out the engine making it a fe tenths of a second faster to 60 mph and slightly higher top speed.

In general driving the difference would be insignificant unless you like to rev out the engine regularly.

[FlyingGecko]

Only know the lesser engine, but I'd be just as interested in the age/mileage/history/condition/fitted extras as whether it had 140 or 150. But obviously with a preference for the younger 150!

[ednmra]

Does the 150 one still keep itself in the £30 road tax bracket? The 140 one is 119 emission so is only just under the limit.

[Guest danbt79]

The car is more than the engine. Just so you know, the 150PS is when the trim naming switched from 'Elegance' to 'SE L' - which was Model Year 2016 (MY16). The SE L variants have the updated infotainment system, which can have 'Smartlink' activated. My dealer did this for £108, and it activates both Apple CarPlay & Android Auto in the Dashboard. This is MORE than worth the money. Better sat-nav, Siri on the steering wheel, spotify, etc. I'd go for the SE L vs the Elegance, and get the 150PS as a side-effect of that.

Edited 24 July, 2016 by danbt79

[wiilydog]

The 150 also gets lower VED due to lower emissions but may need to be careful how it is speced up as certain options may tip it into higher tax band.

Edited 24 July, 2016 by wiilydog

[Geek42]

Does the 150 one still keep itself in the £30 road tax bracket? The 140 one is 119 emission so is only just under the limit.

 

But not if you go for the Elegance!

 

I don't know if there's a weight difference, but the 17-inch wheels are almost certainly detrimental to CO2 emissions (on paper at least). Personally I'd rather have the 16's anyway, but that wasn't an option with Elegance trim.

 

The newer SE-L comes with 17's as standard but there is a no cost 16-inch option, so with the slightly lower consumption of the 150 vs. the 140 and 16-inch rims I'd say the SE-L is almost certainly a lower tax band than the older Elegance.

[fgaffney]

The 150 also gets lower VED due to lower emissions but may need to be careful how it is speced up as certain options may tip it into higher tax band.

 

As long as you keep the standard 16" wheels you'll qualify for £30.00 tax. Anything bigger and you're up at £110.00, which is a pity as I think the standard 16's look a bit lost in the arches (why I went for the 18" Golus),

[glosrich]

Buy the car with the 16" wheels to get the low road tax, then fit bigger wheels afterwards...

[Geek42]

... is a pity as I think the standard 16's look a bit lost in the arches (why I went for the 18" Golus),

 

I never understood this sentiment. I agree that the wheels look a bit small for the arches, but it's the gap that looks wrong to me, and that's a function of the whole wheel/tyre combination rather than the rim size. If I wasn't such a wuss and a stickler for keeping things standard I'd be tempted to try adding 5 to the tyre profile without changing anything else.

 

Slightly larger overall diameter and 15mm off the suspension would look better, but bigger rims doesn't solve the issue for me (and it doesn't bother me enough to make me get my wallet out anyway!)

[FlyingGecko]

I'm with Geek42. It's the suspension that's too high, not the wheel arches too big. IMHO.

 

Thought that about my 1.4 SE, and think the same about my vRS on 18"ers.

 

But after ten years paying extra insurance for my chipped and lowered Saab, my bank account is happier now i keep everything stock.

[ednmra]

Even though I like sports cars of various sorts, I do not like the very big wheel/very low tyre look on a saloon (ok, a hatchback.)

I imagine the difference in road holding is hardly noticeable, unless you are practising for Le Mans maybe.

And, as said before, I'd sooner have a big fat tyre protecting my nice alloy rim from some lousy abrasive kerb.

[fgaffney]

If I wasn't such a wuss and a stickler for keeping things standard I'd be tempted to try adding 5 to the tyre profile without changing anything else.

 

Slightly larger overall diameter and 15mm off the suspension would look better, but bigger rims doesn't solve the issue for me (and it doesn't bother me enough to make me get my wallet out anyway!)

 

I agree that 15mm off the suspension would look better but I'd still rather have an extra 2 or 3 inches of nice shiny alloy than the black sidewall of a tyre. 

 

And, as said before, I'd sooner have a big fat tyre protecting my nice alloy rim from some lousy abrasive kerb.

 

IMO the choice of wheels makes a car, even if it's not a sports car and kerbing them is purely down to the driver and not the wheel tyre combination... unless you're unfortunate to hit a pot hole?

[Octy0GG]

I used to be a fan of low profiles when ordinary cars ran on 80% profiles, 70% was kind of sporty and 60% was seriously low. Now that low profile means 40 and 35%, I'm not so keen on the idea. Where I live (Far North of Scotland) the roads are crumbling, there is not even much sign of any attempt to do a few repairs before next winter. Signs go up to say 'Temporary Road Surface' where they should say 'Wrecked Surface' - there is clearly nothing temporary about it. So for the time being I will be steering clear of seriously low profiles.